Clockwork
by NuclearParadise
Summary: Madeline has always wandered around the workshop alone, believing that she was the only one of her kind. Though, when she unveils Ludwig's latest project, she finds that this is not only untrue, but she could have also found more than just a friend. Fluff Fem!CanadaxRussia Steampunk AU


"Grah! Gilbert where did you hide my welding goggles this time!?" Ludwig yelled at the top of his lungs, throwing the box of gloves and equipment onto the floor. His hair was messily slicked back, stray strands of blonde sticking out in his face. Over his tidy vest and pants he wore a tattered brown smock covered in oil stains and grease. His smoldering blue gaze locked onto his brother, his agitated frown pulling further.

"I don't have the slightest clue as to where you put them, have you tried checking under the stairs? I'm pretty sure you threw them over there when you got mad at me last time." Gilbert responded, too busy with his latest work to give a snide remark. He too was wearing his work clothing, though unlike his brother, he had his pair of red goggles safely secured over his eyes. Before him stood a mechanical beauty with curled blonde hair and big innocent eyes. He was currently working on the frills of her dress, making sure to get every detail exact.

Ludwig huffed and stomped over to the stairs to check. He bent down and rummaged through the box placed directly under the stairs. Throwing several objects over his shoulder, he eventually found what he was looking for. "Ah here they are." He emerged from under the stairs and returned to their work area. Snapping them onto his head, he turned to his brother. "How is yours coming along?" He asked, curiously lifting a brow.

Gilbert glanced over to him, a small smirk lighting his face. "She's coming along great! Soon Birdie will be walking around and fully operational!" His ruby red eyes sparkled with enthusiasm and he turned back to his work. "Is yours complete yet?" He asked to return the question.

Ludwig turned to the tall item covered by a faded linen cloth. He rubbed his neck. "Well, he's actually had some problems..."

Gilbert snapped his head over, lifting his goggles. "What kinds of problems? Did you mess up the wiring _again?_" The albino stood up and strode over to his brother to view the item as well.

Ludwig shrugged. "No, I've done everything correctly, I'm sure of that, but he still will not move." He stepped over and tore the fabric off gently, revealing the item beneath. Another mechanical stood looking similar to a human, though this one was a very tall man dressed in a fancy gentleman's garb. It had a permanent smile on it's face and it's violet eyes stared out into nothingness. Clearly, it was very lifeless. Gilbert took a step forward to inspect the mechanical closer, narrowing his eyes.

"Well, I have to give you points for your paint job, it looks amazing!" Gilbert praised, running his finger over the smooth surface of the creation's sleeve. "But... there's something missing..." He continued, glancing up to it's face.

"What is it? Did I miss something?" Ludwig asked, his eyes flicking from his brother to his work.

Gilbert pointed his finger up at it's face. "You need to give him emotion. That's what's keeping the poor guy in limbo!"

The younger brother looked very unconvinced. "You're crazy. Mechanicals don't need emotion, their programmed to do as we please, not cuddle."

Gilbert shrugged. "Hey, I'm just telling you what he needs." He turned to look at his own work. "Birdie just needs a few more touches on the paint and she'll be done." Ludwig glanced over, surveying the eyes.

"Why did you make a girl? You better not be thinking of-"

"No! No, no, no! I wasn't thinking of that!" Gilbert chuckled. "I thought that since you were making a male, that I would make a female to go along with the big guy." He leaned over and poked Ludwig in the nose mockingly. "Mechanicals get lonely too brüder."

Ludwig swatted his hand away with a frown. "No they don't."

Gilbert shrugged and turned back to his mechanical. "I'll just put a few more finishing touches, it's getting late anyway."

Ludwig huffed. "If you had told me where my goggles were from the beginning, then maybe I would have been able to help you out!" He took his goggles back off and placed them on his work-table, pulling his gloves off and throwing them beside them.

"Kesesesese! But that wouldn't be any fun!" Gilbert laughed, setting his small paintbrush back down into the paint container. "I'm done for now, I can always finish her tomorrow." He glanced up to the coo-coo clock placed on the wall to his side. "I've got a date with Elizaveta later tonight~"

Ludwig's eyebrows shot up. "Oh really? Are you so sure that she isn't going out with that Austrian man down the street?" He asked, an amused smile lining his features.

Gilbert pulled his goggles up and slipped his gloves off. "He'd better not be messing with my girl!" He threatened, throwing his gloves to the ground.

Ludwig shrugged. "We'll see." He strode over to the stairs and made his way up to the main floor.

Gilbert huffed and set all of his things on the table. "I'll kill that piano playing prissy!" He growled under his breath and turned to his mechanical. His eyes softened and a smile returned to his face. Glancing over to his brother's mechanical and back to his own he nodded. "You take care of her while I'm gone." He waited a moment in the silence, before turning to the stairs. "Good." Then he ran up the steps and opened the door at the base. He reached out to flick off the light, but stopped himself. _"Ah, Luddie 'll get it, I have a date to prepare for!"_ Gilbert closed the door with a quiet click and walked into the bathroom to clean himself up.

* * *

The workshop was plummeted into silence, the only sound that pierced it was the dinging and coo of the coo-coo clock mounted on the wall. With the two brothers gone, the room felt much less lively. There was no agitated yelling or agitating giggles. The perfect time for her stretch her legs.

Madeline waited another moment before quietly blinking her eyes. Her smile pulled further, and she shifted her legs to move forward. Gilbert, her creator, was kind enough to oil her hinges and keep her nice and polished. She silently thanked him in her head and took another step. Her eyes flicked down to the ground, a confused look crossing her features.

"Hmm... " She glanced behind herself and at the surrounding workshop. "Kumajippy? Where are you?" There was no sign of the little mechanical bear. Madeline walked over to the box of bolts and cogs, eyeing it over. She couldn't find that flash of white metal anywhere. "Come out Kuma, it's safe now!" She called, looking all around the messy engineering tools and metal.

Then out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a twinge of white, and a rustling sound met her ears. "There you are!" Madeline walked over to the bear and knelt down to pet him. Kumajirou hesitantly padded over to her hand, sniffing it curiously. She giggled and patted his head. "Good boy~" He made little rumbling noises and curled into her touch. She picked him up by his forearms and lifted him into her arms. "What's this you've been sniffing?" Madeline asked, turning to the object he had been engrossed in. She almost jumped back at the sight of another mechanical standing still beside her. "O-oh my!" Excitement creeped it's way into her mind. _"Another mechanical! I wonder..."_ Madeline circled them, eyeballing his whole frame. His stature was a bit unsettling, but his smile was warm and inviting. She smiled back and waved her hand in his face.

"H-hello?"

"..." They did not answer.

She hung her head in disappointment. "Oh... you're not... awake yet..." She frowned, glancing down at Kumajirou.

The bear made a small sound as to say "Oh well."

Madeline glanced back over to the male mechanical, curiously eyeing his face. He had bright violet eyes, a shade lighter than her own, though she noticed that they seemed asleep. His nose was large and rounded, but in a way that was cute to match his childish smile. Madeline noted that his hair was a strange mixture of blonde and grey, maybe even beige. She glanced down to her wrist, eyeing the name written in cursive across it's surface. Did he have a name as well? She wondered. Reaching over, she carefully wrapped her fingers around his right wrist and turned it up. In inky black cursive, she could make out four letters. "I V A N"

Squinting, she slowly sounded out the letters. "Eye-van..." She cocked her head to the side. That didn't sound like any of the names she had heard before. Though she had heard of the name "Ee-vahn" being mentioned, perhaps that was how it was pronounced?

She then thought of more pressing matters. How was she to wake up this 'Ivan'? She looked down at her dress and then his clothing in thought. They were most definitely made to match, a gentleman and a lady. When was he to be awoken? Madeline blinked in thought, imagining him moving around, their elbows enjoined.

Then a sudden thought struck her and she felt the metal over her cheeks heat up. Standing on the tips of her toes, she stood tall enough to look him in the face. She smiled and gave him a sweet peck on the cheek. A few slow moments passed as she waited for a response. Something made a shuddering click and she felt the hum of an engine starting up in front of her. It worked!

Madeline stood back and waited a moment, her smile pulling further. Kumajirou tilted his head curiously, watching as Ivan came to life before them. It was one of her wildest dreams to have a friend made specially for her. As she watched his face hopefully, she could clearly see as it came into animation, his eyes gaining depth and his features less stiff. His eyes blinked several times and he seemed to be suddenly aware of his surroundings.

"My... What a strange place- Oh!" His voice was lined with an accent, sounding similar to those from the far north. Ivan tilted his head as he eyed Madeline up and down. "Privet madam~" He hesitantly moved one arm forward to gently touch her face.

She stared in curiosity at his face, feeling his hand caress the metal plating over her cheek. "What might your name be?" He asked.

She fumbled over her words, leaning back from his touch. "Ah- uh, Maddie, my name's Madeline"

Ivan's smile lightened and he quirked his head to the side. "That's a lovely name Madeline, I'm Ivan..." He glanced down from her face at the bear in her arms. "And who might this little one be?" Ivan hummed and gently reached down to cup his palm over the bear's head.

Madeine stumbled in thought. "Oh, this is Kuma... Kuma-"

"I'm Kumajirou!" The bear suddenly interrupted, his voice high pitched.

Ivan's eyes widened slightly and he looked back over towards Madeline questioningly. "He can talk!?"

She blushed a bit with a small nod. "Y-yea, sorta. But he's actually quite shy around others, especially Gil."

Ivan tilted his head. "Gil? Who's that?" He asked.

"You have a lot to learn." Madeline giggled. "Come on, let me show you around the workshop." She offered her hand, which Ivan took with a polite smile.

"Alright." Maddie loved the little hint of childish curiosity in his voice.

She took him over towards the tune up station where other creations by the Beilshmidt brothers sat, motionless. There was a small yellow bird with it's inner workings opened up, a few cogs sitting beside it. "Here is where Gilbert and Ludwig fix broken mechanicals and clocks." Maddie petted Kumajirou's head. "I was so worried when they had to fix Kuma here," she gave a gentle laugh, "turns out it was just a loose cog."

Ivan nodded, eyeing the many tools strewn out across the tabletop. He turned to her with a curious glint in his eye. "Have you ever needed to be fixed?"

Madeline's cheeks reddened and she looked down at her shoes. "W-well, when I was first completed, Gilbert thought that I had lost my voice, so he had to fix my throat."

Ivan nodded and glanced over his shoulder. "Are there others like us?"

Maddie shook her head. "Not that I know of, you were the first one I've ever seen actually."

He made an "o" with his mouth and smiled. "Interesting."

A sound behind them caught their attention. Ivan lifted an eyebrow. "Did you hear that? It sounded like a some sort of a click."

Madeline set down Kumajirou walked towards the source. "Yes, but I don't know of anything that would click." Ivan followed her, his eyes wandering from item to item surround them.

She suddenly stopped and turned to the shelf on her right. He almost bumped into the back of her, following her gaze. An old box of dusty and unused tools sat at the top, a weird static sound coming from it.

Madeline tried to reach for it, but it was just out of her reach. Ivan saw this and easily reached up and grabbed it. He brought it down for the both of them to see.

Maddie peered inside, a look of surprise lighting her face. "Oh! I've seen this." She reached her hand in and pulled out a small box. "This is a radio that Ludwig used to listen to while he worked." Ivan eyed it curiously, looking up at her as she spoke. "Yes, I remember he used to listen to italian music, he would whistle to the tune sometimes." She smiled. "Gilbert would sometimes join in and they would fill the workshop with the beautiful songs~"

Ivan's eyes lit up. "That sounds great. Do you think we could turn it on?" He asked, a hint of excitement in his voice.

Madeline shrugged. "Sure! Why not?"

Ivan set the box back down and followed her as she went into a relatively clear spot of the workshop. She pushed a few boxes of old parts away and set the radio on top. Kumajirou hopped onto the box beside it and sat down. Maddie bent the long antenna and turned the knob on the front of the box. A mixture of voices and static buzzed from the device for a few seconds before she finally tuned it perfectly. A slow and gentle song came on, there were no vocals.

Maddie came back over to Ivan and took his hands from his sides in her own. "Let's dance~"

Ivan looked confused at first, but he nodded with a smile. "Okay."

She took the lead, gently swaying from back to forth, pulling him along. Ivan could feel the rhythm of the music blend into their movements, feeling sweet and natural.

"You do know that I've never danced before, right?" He asked.

Madeline smiled. "Neither have I. But I've seen Gilbert take a woman down here and dance with her." She leaned in closer, resting her arms on his higher shoulders. He rested his hands on her waist and continued. "They did this sort of thing, and just kind of..." She moved them around clockwise. "It's actually quite easy with a slow song, the music is much more predictable."

Ivan nodded, feeling her careful guidance. He closed his eyes with a long sigh. He felt more comfortable like this than he ever had. Madeline seemed to mold with him like clay, perfectly built for each other. The music was lovely, almost as lovely as her. He peaked his eye open just a sliver. She had her eyes closed too, her face calm and content like his own. Her admired her beauty silently, tracing his eye over her features.

Another slow song came on and he quickly shut his eye. They began to sway to the new song in perfect harmony. As Ivan became more familiar with the dance, he became more familiar with her. Madeline was gentle and curious, not as outspoken at first, but when she warmed up to someone she was happy to converse. She was comfortable in his arms as he in hers.

Madeline leaned in closer, resting her head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and leaned his head down onto hers. She was the first to speak.

"I'm not completely sure, but I think that we were made for each other."

Ivan's cheeks warmed. "It definitely feels like it." He agreed.

They both stayed in silence for a minute before Maddie pulled away. Ivan opened his eyes again, looking down at her. She looked down at her feet with a blush. "May I- uh.. May I give you another kiss?" Her voice was quiet and sheepish.

Ivan gave a smile of approval and nodded. "Da, you may." He leaned down, turning his cheek to her.

Madeline closed her eyes and leaned forward, pursing her lips. The plating over her cheeks was bright red. She placed a sweet kiss on his cheek and quickly pulled away in embarrassment.

Ivan turned back to her. "May I give _you_ a kiss?" He asked in return.

Maddie blinked in astonishment. "S-sure, if you'd like." She turned her cheek for him, her eyes shut tight.

Ivan leaned down and turned his head. He placed a light kiss on her lips, his large nose rubbing against hers.

Madeline's eyes widened as he pulled away, her mouth opening a bit. "W-wha..."

He again kissed her lips, this time deepening it. Her surprised look slowly melded away as she kissed back, wrapped her arms back around him. He did the same and they interlocked into a warm embrace. Sparks flew with the heat of the moment, trickling through the air.

There was a sound upstairs and a door opened.

Both Madeline and Ivan froze, their eyes widening. They stiffened without anything else to do.

"Damn keys, I thought I put them on the ring." The sound of footsteps descended down the stairs, a flash of white hair coming into view. Gilbert glanced over towards them and froze. His ruby eyes stared straight at them for a moment. He then shook his head with a little smirk. "Keep it PG you two, I don't want to find anything suspicious down here." His eyes trailed over to his bench where he located his keys.

Ivan and Madeline kept perfectly still, not even daring to move.

Gilbert's keys jingled as he picked them up and pocketed them. He glanced back over to Ivan. "I want her back in her spot by midnight, no staying up late!" A strange chuckle erupted from him before he walked back up the stairs. "Goodnight." The door closed again, leaving the two alone once again.

Madeline pulled away, blushing like mad. She smiled at his own embarrassed face. "Same time tomorrow night?"

Ivan nodded. "Definitely."


End file.
